Method of making cleansing pads



Dec. 9, 1947. H ENGLUND 2,432,091

i METHOD OF MAKING CLEANSING PADS Filed May 15, 1945 mfr/v ,5A/b(TAPE/750) Patented Dec. 9, 1947 METHOD OF MAKING CLEANSING PADSYLeonard H. Englund, Chicago, Ill., assigner to James H. Rhodes &Company, Chicago, Ill.,` a corporation of Illinois Application May 15,1943, Serial No. 487,149`

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of brous articles. Moreparticularly, it pertains to fibrous articles for cleansing purposes,such as scouring pads or the like impregnated with soap, the bers ofwhich are held together by a film of cellulosic binder, the binder andsoap being a reaction product of a soap-making acid and a cellulosecompound containing a saponifying alkali With which the padssuccessively are treated.

A principal object of the present invention is the provision of padssuch as those herein described, and a method of making them, in which afibrous mass of material has cast or deposited thereon, by regenerationof the cellulose compound, a strong continuous film as a binder to holdsuch pads intact.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a pad Which isintersticially impregnated with a suitable soap, and in which the soapalso is distributed over and around the bers with a minimum of input ofwater, thereby greatly reducing the drying load which otherwise would benecessary if ordinary pre-formed soap were used.

It is a further object of the invention substantially completely toeliminate deleterious byproducts from such pads, particularly by theelimination of saponifying alkalies, such as caustic soda, Which wouldbe deleterious substance if allowed to remain as such in the pads.

Other objects of the invention Will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relationof one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and thearticle possessing the features, properties, and the relation ofelements, which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure,and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in theclaims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the inventionreference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Fig. l is a plan view illustrating a fibrous batt prior to separationinto portions to be rolled into tubular formation;

Fig. 2 illustrates the batt of Fig. 1 thus separated;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional end elevation illustrating afragment of the batt adjacent an area of severance of the batt shown inFig. 2; and

Fig. 4 shows the cut end of a batt inserted in a slotted type mandrel,having been given several turnsV around the mandrel with the taperedtorn end of the batt forming a lapped joint.

In the manufacture of fibrous materials into articles of the type hereindisclosed, it has been customary variously to condition and preparebers, such as Tampico, and run the same through a garnett machine.Thereafter the material is run to a lapping device which consists, forexample, of a conveyor belt traveling in one direction while the webcoming 01T the garnett is lapped thereon in a manner such that itcontinuously traverses the moving conveyor belt in a reciprocatingaction, laying down on the belt the fibrous web in lapped form. Thematerial is thereafter sprayed on both sides to moisten the same byhaving the lapped web of liber travel in a substantially rectilineartraverse, after which it is passed through a suitable dryer. Afteremergingfrom the dryer a cutter will cut the lapped webb into batts ofapproximately 10x20 inches.

These batts are then pulled apart, rolled on mandrells into tubularformations, and the tubular forms of brous material are then subjectedto a cutting operation in which the tube is cut,

into thicknesses or pads which are approximately two inches long afterthe ends have been trimmed. In this connection I have discovered, as oneaspect of the present invention, that in order to obtain a suitabletubular formation of the fibrous material, the torn-apart ends must notform a shoulder by having an abrupt severance. In rolling the web intothe tube there will be formed a plurality of layers, or lamina, and itis essential that they do not unwind or spring out of position afterhaving been so rolled. To prevent this, I separate the batts in such amanner that the fibers present ends of varying lengths in a featherededge which, when wound into the tubular formation, present no shoulderbut blend evenly along the outside of the tube. In separating thesebatts to procure this particular effect, it is essential that the samebe pulled in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the fibers. Thebatts are torn'or pulled apart to yield two batts of approximately 10Xl0 inches, and by such pulling apart the severed ends are comprised ofprotruding or extending fibers of varying length thus presenting afeathered or tapered end. They will then present ends of varyinglengths, the essential characteristic of which is to give the tapered orfeathered edge a proper lap joint, frictionally and interlockinglyengaging the bers immediately adjacent thereto when the same is rolledvinto the above mentioned More specifically, the pads are impregnated ina liquid fatty acid, or other acids, of such composition as will yield asuitable soap. Such soapmaking acids can be chosen from any of thegroups consisting of fatty acids of the water insoluble type runningfrom oleic through stearic acids. These soap-making acids can also bechosen from the rosin acids, such as abietic acid, also useful in soapmaking. As a further alternative, naphthenio acidv orV other acidsderived from petroleum can be used in the process. In other words, thepads are impregnated in liquefied fatty acids, or other soap-yieldingacids such as rosin, naphthenic or other petroleum-derived saponiablesubstances, which yield soaps upon saponication with an alkali.

Thereafter the fattyV acid impregnated pads are dipped in a celluloseliquid solution containing sodium hydroxide, e. g., in an alkalineaqueous solution in which is dissolved ethyl-hydroxy cellulose ether, orequivalent film-forming cellulose compound. Both the acid and thecellulose compositions enter the reaction as liquids and emerge assolids. Thus the cellulose forms the binder and the fatty acid the soapwith sapo-nifying alkali present.

It is also desirable to have the ultimate pad contain an abrasivematerial. Heretofore, such a material as pumice stone has been used andthe present invention contemplates the use of this type of material orany other similar suitable material such as fullers earth, rotten stone,etc. Preferably, this abrasive material may be incorporated in the fattyacid solution or other soapmaking acid solution. It will be understoodthat the inclusion of the abrasive need not be with this material butcan be used at a later stage in the process. However, it is preferableto incorporate it in the iirst impregnating or fatty acid solution. Thismay be done by suspending it in the liquid solution and at this stagethere is a distinct advantage. By its presence I am able to control theproportion of fatty acid retained in the fiber pad because it acts as athickener, thereby increasing the viscosity of the solution andhencegiving a better retention on the fibers.

After the pad has thus been impregnated it is immersed in a solutioncomprising a cellulose compound soluble in a saponifying alkali. Thiscellulose compound, or other film-forming substance, must be soluble ina saponifying alkali such as, for example, caustic soda, and it shouldbe film-forming to the extent that it will regenerate, that is, depositor coat the cellulose compound in the form of a continuous film over theindividual fibers of the pad. This reaction will occur upon the removalof a critical proportion of the caustic alkali as the same is reactedwith the particular fatty acid present. Preferably, such a cellulosecompound comprises a cellulose ether, such as an ethyl hydroxy celluloseether, or may consist of a methyl hydroxy cellulose ether. In otherwords, this step, which is carried out by immersion of thefatty-acid-impregnated pads in the alkaline aqueous solution ofethyl-hydroxy cellulose ether, or other equivalent cellulosic compound,simultaneously results in the saponication of the fatty-acids into soap,the elimination of alkali, and the depositing of the ethyl-hydroxycellulose ether in the form of lms, thus binding the individuall fibersof the pad together.

The reaction which will occur by the immersion of the impregnatedabrasive pad containing a fatty acid of the soap-making variety and acellulose compound which is soluble in a saponifyingv alkali, will'provide two products, One of these productsl is the combination of fattyor soap-making acid with the alkali or caustic soda, yielding thereby asoap formed in situ on the fibers of the material. The other product ofthe reaction is the regeneration or deposition of the cellulose compoundin the form of a continuous film which acts as a binding agent to holdthe fibers together in the structural form of a pad. Thereafter' the padcan be dried by any suitable means such as, for example, a cabinet drierutilizing a stream of dry air, whereupon the pads can be packaged readyfor distribution.

By means of the foregoing procedure, it will be seen that the objectshereinbefore set forth may readily and eiliciently be attained, andsince certain changes in carrying out the above process and certainmodifications in the article which embody the invention may be madeWithout departing from its scope, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description may be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Particularly, it is to be understood that in said claims, ingredients orcompounds recited in the singular are intended to include compatiblemixtures of such ingredients Wherever the sense permits.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In the manufacture of brous material into articles of the classdescribed, the improvement which comprises impregnating such fibrousmaterial in a liquid fatty acid solution of such composition as willyield a soap upon saponication with an alkali, and .saponifying saidfatty acid impregnated material in a solution comprising an alkalisoluble cellulose ether which is solubilized ifri a saponifying alkalito cast a continuous enveloping film of cellulose around said fibrousmass of material to bind the same into a compact unitary structure.

2. In the manufacture of fibrous material into cleansing articles, theimprovement which comprises impregnating such fibrous material in liquidfatty acid of such composition as will yield a soap upon saponiiicationwith an alkali, saponifying said fatty acid in said impregnated pad in asolution comprising an alkali soluble cellulose ether which issolubilized in a saponifying alkali, and continuing the saponificationof said fatti7 acid therewith until there is a deposit of regeneratedcellulose in the form of a continuous lm upon the bers and around thefibrous mass of material which acts as a binding agent to hold saidfibers together and said pad intact.

3. In the manufacture of fibrous material into cleansing articles, theimprovement which comprises impregnating such fibrous material in liquidfatty acid of such composition as will yield a soap upon saponificationWith an alkali, and saponifying said fatty acid in said impregnatedmaterial in a solution comprising an alkali soluble cellulose etherwhich is solubilized in a saponifying alkali, and continuing saidreaction until said acid and cellulosic compound yield a soap in situ onthe fibers of said fibrous material and a continuous enveloping film ofcellulose around said fibrous mass of material to bind the same into acompact unitary structure.

4. In the manufacture of fibrous material into cleansing articles, theimprovement which comprises impregnating such fibrous material in liquidfatty acid of such composition as Will yield a soap upon saponificationwith an alkali, saponifying said fatty acid in said impregnated materialin a solution comprising an alkali soluble cellulose ether which issolubilized in a saponifying alkali contained therein, and continuingsaid reaction until two products are formed, one of which is aregeneration and subsequent deposition of cellulose compound in the formof a continuous lm which forms a binding agent around the brous mass tohold it together in the form of a pad, and the other of Which is a soapformed in situ on said brous material as a reaction of the combinationof fatty acid with said alkali.

5. In the manufacture of brous material into cleansing articles of thecharacter described, the improvement which comprises impregnating saidfibrous material With a liqueed acid which Will yield soap uponsaponication with alkali and subjecting said acid to reaction with amaterial which is an alkali soluble cellulose ether solubilized incaustic soda solution and which Will regenerate the cellulosic compoundand deposit the same in a continuous film around said fibers to hold thesame in a compact mass.

6. In the manufacture of fibrous material into cleansing articles, theimprovement which comprises impregnatng such material with a suitableSoap-making acid, and subjecting said acid in said material to reactionWith an ethyl hydroxy cellulose ether compound which is a film formingsubstance in sodium hydroxide solution, which reaction will regeneratethe cellulose compound upon removal of a critical proportion of the s0-dium hydroxide and deposit said cellulose in the form of a iilm aroundthe mass of said fibrous material.

LEONARD H. ENGLUND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile ofthis patent:

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